ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — After defeating No. 8 Rider in the MAAC Quarterfinals, the Bobcats are back in the MAAC Semifinals for the second straight season.
“Last year we lost, we missed a tag and they got a rebound,” Quinnipiac graduate student guard Savion Lewis said. “This year, we’re just not going to take no possessions off, regardless of what the score is or what time is left.”
In the MAAC Quarterfinals against Rider, the Bobcats didn’t take a single possession off, delivering a team-wide performance to get past the Broncs. Seven of 10 Bobcats scored, showcasing the team’s depth as the MAAC tournament rolls on.
“They’re a very dangerous team,” Iona head coach Tobin Anderson said. “(Junior forward) Amarri (Monroe) can score and (graduate student center Paul) Otieno can score, and (senior guard) Doug Young has killed us every game we played against him. (Sophomore guard Khaden) Bennett was great last night. (Graduate student guard) Savion Lewis looked fantastic last night. There’s a lot of weapons out there. (Freshman guard) Jaden Zimmerman is a really good player, so we have to play great team defense.”
The Bobcats will take on No. 4 Iona after the Gaels defeated Manhattan in a 77-65 back-and-forth matchup Thursday.
The Gaels pose a tough matchup for the Bobcats as their defense was stifling in their two regular-season matchups. In their first meeting on Jan. 12, Iona built two double-digit leads, one in each half, capitalizing on Quinnipiac’s’ ongoing shooting struggles. The Bobcats eventually clawed back from that early deficit to pull within four.
“The big thing for us at the half, we wanted to get it down under 10 and we got it to four,” Pecora said on Jan. 12. “We have got seven veterans out there tonight, so they’ve been through some battles, and they don’t get rattled and that had a lot to do with it.”
The Iona press was able to shrink any opportunities for the Bobcats to try and start their offensive possessions. The Gaels were able to capitalize on the absence of Lewis, forcing the Bobcats into 18 turnovers, their fourth-most of the season.
Turnovers are something that the Bobcats haven’t been able to minimize this season, putting them on upset watch. In their second meeting on Feb. 16, the same issues persisted, despite Lewis returning, as Quinnipiac committed a season-high 21 turnovers. But a change away from defensive pressing by Iona could swing momentum to the Bobcats.
“We were pressing them more at the start of the year,” Anderson said. “We were forcing, like 18 or 20 the start of the year. We’ve kind of become more of a half-court team that we upped our base defense to be better.”
With Iona opting to play more half-court defense, the Bobcats may not see the press of Iona the whole game, but its offense has shown to become a new problem for opposing defenses. The Gaels have scored above their average (70 PPG) in four of their last five games.
“I felt like we’re more dialed in to what we need to do on offense,” senior guard DeJour Reaves said. “We attacked the film room more than we did at the beginning of the year … even players do individual learning on how to be better at the actions that we run for the team.”
Iona’s trio of Reaves (28 points and six rebounds), junior forward Yaphet Moundi (23 points and eight rebounds) and freshman guard Adam Njie Jr. (16 points, five rebounds and nine assists) had season-best performances when it mattered most in a win-or-go-home game.
“I feel like every time we come out of court, we play like a championship game,” Reaves said. “Coach Tobin, all the coaches, they tell us one play at a time, and I feel like that’s what keeps us going.”
Moundi opened the Gaels’ scoring, going on his own 7-0 run and setting the stage for their biggest lead of the game (16 points). Monroe and Otieno will have their work cut out to slow down the junior forward, but Moundi is ready to make a name for himself.
“I know I can do it, so I’m just gonna show it tomorrow,” Moundi said.
Tip-off for the semifinals is set for 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to Saturday’s MAAC Championship against either No. 2 Merrimack or No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s.
“You’ve got to play every possession like it’s your last,” Pecora said. “That’s how teams win championships, and we’re one step there. You still got a lot of work to do on Friday night, and then hopefully Saturday as well.”
